, 1887-12-07

tion that superstition sees only in the
far off past!
The strong man who rises above
tn" din Of these uncertainties and
stands with Paul in the clear light Of
absolute religion, him the Phnrise,s
term irreligious unless he can speak
; the shibbUlelh Of u sect. He can
stand on no mount of vision unless
scarified in climbing up through Sec
tartan brambles. He must put on the
old shell of Judaism, and confess
that there were no inspired men before
Moses and none after Paul and John
through who can flow the waters of
Eternal Life. We repel the Divine
which comes freshly to every age,
when we thus link its power to ritual
aud tradition, When read the Beat.
itndes, l know that | am reading
truth that was absolute and eternal
before the morning stars sang togetli-
er Why run from the voice Of ny
own moral cons insness in quest If
outward aitestaiiuns? 1t II sure evi.
dence OF an expiring religion, and II
nrrveless faith when men value any
book, even the highest, more than
! the living ever present voice OF God
when they worship the bible instead
OF the soul out OF which all bibles
came.
Religion may have her miracles and
prophecies, her appeals to the intel
lect, propositions, phraseology, pass
words ds,-she may have never so many
or never so few, it is all one to him
whose soul throbs with the life OF r,lg.
ion. He who has the secret Of love
and trust has it all, and stands in the
full liberty of the sons Of God "Fnirh
in all things high beat with his
blood"
The statements of religion, the
truths Of the understanding, are the
moons that shine only 10y reflection,
changing every revolving month,
To-day we hold them with the pleas
ont assurance of belief. 10 morrow
we cast them aside as opaque satellites
that help no more but darken rather
the vision Of the soul. Al the utter
ances Of religion are initial merely,
Each revelation points to higher
that waits to be revealed. They are
steps in the spirits pathway which we
are to use, stopping not short OF the
goal. No past age can stereotype the
religious life of the ages to succeed.
Because the Isra lites dwelt in tents,
must we discard modern housesY
Because Paul wore the toga of IL
Roman citizen, shall we forego modern
apparel? The Savior rode upon an
ASS colt, shall we therefore abandon
the railway train; that would be to
make asses Of ourselves.
This worship the Of unknown God
makes human nature bankrupt. Not
daring to welcome present inspiration
nor look to the present living God f. r
guidance. it searches through the
tomb Of past centuries where he
once lived, for help. 1t turns
from the even present and marifes ted
divins, whom even the way faring man
can see and know, to reverence some
former expression OF the religious sen
timeEt. AS though religion were II
century plant, blooming but once or
twice in the history OF mani The re-
ligious life pursues the plane Of its
everlasting march, though it leave
form and shell, creed and book, priest
and church behind. Not more surely
are the leaves shed from the trees
than is every bible shed from the heart
OF man. 1t is greater than, these,
for it is the maker of them all, and can
make other and greater when its
wants demand.
Religion does not ask to be nursed
by tradition and authority as ~ sickly
child. 1t rises from the depth of the
the soul. The atiinities of the spirit
shoot out to the Father of Lights, rs
the roots Of II tree strike down for the
soil.
We need not fear to trust the soul
with It's freedom. BE snre, all the uni.
versa tells of God and leads to God.
1t is filled with his footsteps and light
ed with his smile. This world is but
manifested dsty-God shown to eye,
and ear and sense. That which lies
beneath the surface OF all appearance,
the cause of all manifestations, is God.
The sounds and sights of this lovely
world are but the drapery OF the robe
in which the invisible has clothed him.
self. Opon your heart wide to the
sure influences of the morning Sun,the
sky, the flowers. to all the ,enial inn
pressions OF this manifold life; let
great nature have her way; and then
say whether this whole form of being
that we call the world, is not the sweet
sacrament of God, the revelation OF
his existence, and the channel Of his
communication to the spirit.
Let us, then, refuse to bow at the
Athenian altar. LIT us learn, with
Paul, to know Him and to love Hin.
That knowledge can so culture us
that, in the .shorel.ss immensities Of
the hereafter, the souls recognition OF
herself shall be neither terror nor ii
shamed surprise. That knowledge
can raise us here to the dignity OF sons
OF God, and lead us to find ourselves
still, MS recognized and beloved sons,in
the Fathers higher realm, where
gather all those who ever made this lot
OF human life more hopeful. sweet and
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